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WhatsApp pricing and billing

WhatsApp messages are billed per successfully delivered message. Whether a message incurs a charge, and the rate that applies, depend on:

• The recipient’s country or region
• The message type
• The billing rules that apply when you send the message

For the complete, current price list, visit YCloud Pricing.

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Understand message types

Check message prices on YCloud Pricing. Marketing, Utility, and Authentication are template message categories and require approval before you send them. Service is not a template message category. You can use it only to reply to a customer during an open 24-hour customer service window. Meta may adjust a template’s category after reviewing its content. The approved category, recipient market, and applicable billing rules determine the charge.

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Understand Authentication and Authentication International

Both Authentication and Authentication International are used to send verification codes. Authentication is a template message category. Authentication International is not a separate template category. It is a different rate that can apply to Authentication messages when the required conditions are met. Authentication International rates currently apply in these markets:

• India
• Indonesia
• Egypt
• Malaysia
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• United Arab Emirates

To qualify as an international business, you must send more than 750,000 messages during a continuous 30-day period. The threshold is measured across all of your WhatsApp Business Accounts, for messages sent outside the customer service window to unique WhatsApp users in eligible markets. Once you qualify:

1. You receive an email confirming your eligibility and applicable start times.
2. Your primary business location is determined from publicly available information.
3. Each eligible market has a start time, usually 30 days after eligibility is confirmed.
4. Authentication messages delivered after the start time use the Authentication International rate when the recipient’s market differs from your primary business location.
5. Your eligibility remains in effect once it is confirmed.

For example, if your primary business location is Indonesia, Authentication messages sent to users in Indonesia use the standard Authentication rate. Messages sent to users in India use the Authentication International rate when the conditions above are met. For the applicable Authentication and Authentication International rates, visit YCloud Pricing.

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Understand the 24-hour customer service window

When a customer sends a message to your WhatsApp Business Account, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Each new message from that customer resets the window. During the window, you can:

• Send non-template Service messages to reply to the customer
• Send approved Marketing, Utility, or Authentication templates

After the window closes, you can contact the customer only with an approved template. You cannot continue sending non-template Service messages until the customer sends a new message. Until October 1, 2026, Utility templates and non-template Service messages sent during an open customer service window are free. Marketing and Authentication templates remain chargeable unless an eligible 72-hour free entry-point window applies.

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Understand the 72-hour free entry-point window

Customers can start a conversation through either of these entry points:

• A Click to WhatsApp ad
• A Facebook Page call-to-action button

When a customer clicks one of these entry points and sends your business a message using the WhatsApp Android or iOS app, a 72-hour free entry-point window opens. During this window, standard WhatsApp messages are free, including:

• Marketing templates
• Utility templates
• Authentication templates
• Service messages

The 72-hour free entry-point window does not extend the 24-hour customer service window. Whether you can send a non-template Service message still depends on the 24-hour customer service window.

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Watch the full introduction video

Watch the video